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WELCOME
to the Masturbate-a-thon website - celebrating the most innovative and
stimulating way to raise money for good causes, that everyone can turn
their hands to... For the very first time the Masturbate-a-thon is coming to the UK. After six successful years in San Francisco the event has finally arrived in Europe, and will this year take place in London, on Saturday 5th August 2006. This is a charity event, intended to encourage people to explore safer sex, talk about masturbation and lift the taboos that still surround the subject, by coming to a public place and coming in a public place! All
money raised supports charities in the campaign for greater public understanding
of and better services in HIV and sexual health.
The Masturbate-a-thon will be taking place between 2pm and 10pm on Saturday 5th August at:Drop Studios, 50-54 Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 5PS. Please do not contact Drop Studios for information regarding the event. If you require further details call 0207 017 8764 leaving your name, contact number & query and someone will get back to you. Anyone over the age of 18 can take part! People of both genders, all ages and sexual orientation masturbate...and every kind of person will be represented at the Masturbate-a-thon. Prejudice, disrespect and intolerance of other people are not acceptable - and anyone who displays such attitude WILL be asked to leave immediately. Couples are welcome and encouraged but please keep your hands to yourself. The Masturbate-a-thon is promoting solo sex and we cannot allow people to participate in couple or group sex. This is considered a violation of privacy and there will be no exceptions. The Masturbate-a-thon is about masturbation for a reason, and we want everyone who attends to help us send the message that masturbation is a positive, completely safe and erotic alternative, good for you, and just plain pleasurable! If you have special needs resulting from disability please contact: press@mariestopes.org.uk Or call: 0207 574 7429 Or fax: 0207 574 7407 in advance so every effort can be made to accomodate you. FILMING Please
note this event is featuring in a documentary for Channel 4. If you are planning to attend on Saturday please email us to give us an idea of numbers at: press@mariestopes.org.uk WOMEN All Female
participants will get a 10% discount at Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium in
Hoxton (just around the corner from The Masturbate-a-thon). Simply present
your sponsorship form at the authorisation desk and they will give you
a voucher which entitles you to a 10% discount at Sh! during August. Enjoy!!! Once you have arrived at the location the door person will check your photo ID (you must be over 18 to enter the premises) and you will be asked to sign a form stating that you have read and understood the rules and regulations. Once inside you will need to present your sponsorship form at the reception desk. If you have not received any sponsorship, you will be asked to make a personal donation to the beneficiary charities. We would suggest a donation of £10 or more, but of course the amount you give is entirely up to you. There is a cloakroom area for you to leave coats, clothes or valuables.. We encourage people to enjoy the experience of being comfortable with their own and others' nakedness at the Masturbate-a-thon - but if you prefer to retain some clothing, that is also fine. Fully clothed people will not be allowed into rooms set aside for masturbation, however. Once you have checked in your belongings please find your place in the relevant area for you. There are four main areas: The Comfort area, Women only area, Men only area and a mixed area. The areas are separated and you will not be able to view single-gender areas from the mixed area. We recommend that you spend some time in the Comfort area, which is a no masturbation zone, to acclimatise and get comfortable before proceeding to one of the other rooms. The style inside is a comfortable Moroccan theme with plenty of pillows and recliner cushions. There will be relaxing music and plenty of visual stimulation to help you get in the mood. The environment is clean and padded with places to lie back all around the room. There are individual cubicles for those who prefer privacy. Fresh disposable paper sheets will be available for every participant. So will extra batteries and plenty of ID Lubricants. Participants are welcome to bring and use their own toys as an aid to stimulation - but please do not share them or offer them to anyone else to use after you, as this constitutes a clear risk to you and others. Please respect people’s privacy. The single-gender areas are, obviously, only for people who identify themselves as that gender and the cubicles are for people who want to take part in the event but are only comfortable masturbating in private. Once you are settled in we will assign a monitor to you. They will maintain your time sheet and determine minutes for your sponsors. If you would like to be considered for the "Most Orgasms" category please inform your monitor. Monitors are trained and will not be embarrassed by anything they witness in the rooms. Also - monitors are NOT voyeurs, so will not be watching you directly as you masturbate, but merely remaining at a discreet distance and recording the time you take for your sponsorship form. The Masturbate-a-thon is a NO-ALCOHOL, NO-DRUGS event. Some food and drink will be available in the refreshments area. Anyone we believe to be under the influence will be asked to leave. Any use of a non-approved camera (still or video), including mobile phones with camera facilities, by anyone anywhere at the venue will be considered a violation of privacy and the camera operator shall be required to surrender a memory card for reformatting or allow film to be exposed to the light prior to being asked to vacate the premises.” If you become disruptive, break the posted house rules, or touch anyone without permission, you will be asked to leave. Once you have completed your time in one of the masturbation areas you can return to the Comfort Zone for further relaxation and to take refreshment, before collecting your clothing from the Cloakroom area. Before you leave you will need to go to the authorisation desk, where your sponsorship form will be officially rubber stamped, noting any special details, such as time spent masturbating or number of orgasms. This will prove your participation, when you come to collect sponsorship money. Sponsorship money should be collected as soon as possible, and be forwarded to the Masturbate-a-thon organisers within ONE MONTH. Please ONLY send cheques or postal orders made payable to Marie Stopes International. Do not send cash. Your sponsorship money should be sent to: Department PRM, Marie Stopes International, 153-157 Cleveland Street, London W1T 6QW WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE MASTURBATE-A-THON? Apart from those taking part, who should experience a wonderful sense of exhilaration, liberation and relaxation at having taken part in a ground breaking initiative that will help to promote sexual expression and freedom for all, two British registered sexual health charities will benefit from this event. Marie Stopes International (Registered charity no: 265543) is the UK’s leading sexual and reproductive health agency and also provides services and information in over 35 countries worldwide, helping an estimated 5 million people every year to control the size and spacing of their families and avoid from sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. Terrence Higgins Trust (Registered charity : 288527) is the leading HIV and AIDS charity in the UK, and the largest in Europe. THT was one of the first charities to be set up in response to the HIV epidemic and has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS ever since HISTORY OF THE MASTURBATE-A-THON It all began in America. At the end of 1994 the Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was made to resign after saying that she thought it would be beneficial to teach children about masturbation as part of sex education and that it should be more openly discussed. "I think that it is something that is part of human sexuality and it's part of something that perhaps should be taught. But we've not even taught our children the very basics. And I feel that we have tried ignorance for a very long time and it’s time we try education" The public Masturbate-a-thon was originated by Dr Carol Queen and Dr Robert Lawrence in 2000, inspired by the work of Good Vibrations in San Francisco which has hosted these events for 10 years. These annual events are a public education device to increase the use of self pleasure as a strategy for safer sex and to de-stigmatise self-love. Carol Queen is a sex educator, author and a doctor of human sexuality. She and her partner Robert Lawrence founded the Center for Sex and Culture as a non-profit organisation eight years ago. Dr Carol Queen has been a main influence in San Francisco’s Sex Positive movement for over 20 years. During the past six years, the Masturbate-a-thon has raised over $25,000 for women’s health initiatives and HIV prevention, education and treatment organisations, and has contributed to debates about safer sex and alternative safe methods of sexual expression in the USA, in the face of harsh conservative opposition. ID Lubricants is the leading UK brand of personal lubricant and has been the number one selling personal lubricant in America since 1995. It is available throughout the UK in leading adult stores, as well as Internet shops and saunas. A dedicated personal lubricants company, ID Lubricants (UK) offers the widest lubricant product range in Europe. These include the number one selling product ID Glide – a superb water-based lubricant that has a great natural feel; ID Millennium, a silicone-based lubricant renowned for its performance, longevity and non-sticky qualities; ID Pleasure, which is classic ID Glide with added zing which women report heightens sensation; and ID Sensation Warming Liquid, which warms on contact and is a great companion to ID Glide or ID Millennium when added sensation is desired. Also in the ID Lubricants range is ID Juicy Lube, the number one selling flavoured lubricant in the world and ID Cream, an oil-based lubricant, specifically developed for male masturbation. With the range of ID Lubricants now available, ID promotes lubricants as sex toys in their own right, offering individuals a variety of sexual experiences. To accompany the product range, ID Lubricants (UK) also provides educational material in the form of the ID Guide to Sensationally Smooooth Sex and the ID Guide to Oral Sex. For more information please visit www.idlube.co.uk Hundreds register to attend Europe's first Masturbate-a-thon Over 250 people have registered their intention to take part in Europe's very first sponsored Masturbate-a-thon in London today, reports organiser Marie Stopes International. People from all walks of life and social class and every shade of sexuality are expected to attend the specially converted photographers' studios in Clerkenwell. "We are absolutely delighted with the response to this ground breaking event," said Tony Kerridge, of Marie Stopes International. "Well over 100,000 people have logged on the web site since it went live just over two weeks ago, and the amount of media interest we have generated thus far means that we really have started to get people thinking and talking about masturbation and other forms of non-penetrative sex as safe, healthy and exciting alternatives to intercourse, which is one of the key aims of this event." The Masturbate-A-Thon is the brainchild to two American sexologists, Dr Carol Queen and Dr Robert Lawrence, and has run in the US for the past six years raising over $25,000 for women's health initiatives and HIV prevention, education and treatment organisations. This event will also benefit HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust. "I am delighted that UK and European press are rising to the occasion and getting information about the Masturbate-a-Thon out to their readers and listeners," said Dr Queen. "It will ensure a successful event, but most importantly, it helps to break a silence that need not exist in the first place and helps people speak more openly about masturbation. "Hopefully this is a serious step toward everyone taking this basic, comforting, healthful sexual act in stride."
Drop Studios in Clerkenwell Road, London has been transformed into a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for participants by a young team of set designers, The Shivering Whippets, who have welcomed the challenge of this most interesting and unique brief. In aid of global sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International, and sponsored by ID Lubricants (UK), the leading UK brand of personal lubricants, the event also aims to act as a public education device to increase the use of self pleasure as a strategy for safer sex and to dispel the shame and taboos that still persist around the subject of masturbation.
Official
Masturbate-a-thon Rules and Regulations If you have any allergies please inform a Masturbate-a-thon Official as soon as you arrive.
1. Building
and areas used must be legal to fire codes and occupancy. Staff 1. Cleaning
personnel 1. All
participants must bring along their sponsorship form. 1. No
touching other participants. Filming Please
note this event is featuring in a documentary for Channel 4. Back
to top WWW.MARIESTOPES.ORG.UK
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